Jake is a short, muscular dog. It was hard to imagine how he got himself trapped there. It was nightfall before we figured out where he was. After hearing his faint barking, my 8-year-old grandson and I located him.

We could see where he was trapped, but could not reach him. The only way we could possibly free him was to pull part of the plywood floor up. My daughter and I tried, but we were not strong enough.

Fortunately, my 16-year-old grandson Ryan’s Boy Scout Troop 121 was meeting at Theodore United Methodist Church, a short distance from our residence. He, along with two of his Scout friends, Brent and Barclay, left their scout meeting and rushed to our (and Jake’s) aid. In a few minutes these three strong young men had Jake free, much to the relief of my grandchildren and Jake.

This is further proof that scouting is worthwhile and there are still many good young people in our community.

JOHN E. CORLEY

Theodore

American Dream is not about stuff

Like many 23-year-olds, I grew up hearing about the "American Dream." What is it, exactly?

If you listen to today’s media, you would think that the dream is all about accumulating material things. It’s about landing a high-paying job so you can go into debt to buy a brand new home, a brand new car, the latest high-tech gadgets, and the list goes on. While it’s fine to have or to want these things, let me share with my fellow Americans why I believe that this is not the true meaning of the American Dream.

I believe the true meaning has more to do with our freedom and opportunities, and is rooted in the Declaration of Independence. "All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

These words, given to us by our Founding Fathers and God, are words of liberty and opportunity. They tell us that life can be better, richer and fuller for everyone regardless of social class, but each individual gets to define what "better, richer and fuller" means. In today’s materialistic society, it is all too easy to become consumed in pursuit of "more and more" and "bigger and better." But when we embrace the true American Dream, all the other "stuff" seems less important.

ROBERT BECK

Wilmer

Mobile teemed with opportunities

As a boy growing up in Mobile, my childhood provided great memories. My friends and I did whatever it took to make a dollar.

If you wanted spending money, you had to earn it. I had a mower, wagon and a steel hoe. I cut small yards for 75 cents and edged sidewalks for one dollar, by hand. The wagon was used to collect old newspapers and magazines. Collecting 200 pounds netted me $10 at Stone Container Paper Co. "Gold" was Coke bottles, returned to the stores for 10 cents a six-pack.

During the Senior Bowl, I sold Cokes and cups of ice from an aluminum cup holder. I made about $20 that day. At the end of the day, the "Coke" boys got to meet the players. One year I got Joe Namath’s autograph.

For fun, we played marbles by making a big circle in the dirt. We built wooden stilts and raced. We also played with tops and yo-yos. We would catch crawfish at K.C. Ditch with a long stick using string and a piece of bacon attached.

I have great memories of Johnson Lake with the platform in the middle of the lake. We also had drive-in movies — the Bama, the Do-Drive In, the Auto-Sho, the Air-Show — and walk-in movies like the Loop, the Saenger, the Downtown Theater, the Century and the Roxy.

I was a bat boy at Hartwell Field. I would take a cracked bat home, glue and nail it, and my friends and I would play home-run derby at Crawford Park. Hitting the ball out of the green was a home run.